Study the Bible For Yourself

by Bryan Gibson

May 12, 2009

You have probably learned a lot about the Bible from others (and hopefully a few things from these articles). There is nothing wrong with that; just don’t let that take the place of your own personal study. Often times, in His exchanges with others about the Scriptures, Jesus would ask, “Have YOU not read?” (Matthew 12:3, 5, et al) or something very similar. When a lawyer came to Jesus with the question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What is written in the law? What is YOUR reading of it?” (Luke 10:25-26). The point we’re trying to make here is very simple. You need to read the Scriptures; you need to draw your own conclusions from your own personal study. Here are just some of the benefits to studying and learning on your own.

1.  First of all, there is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes from learning something on your own, from seeing the results of your own diligent study. “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet” (Ecclesiastes 5:12)—that would seem to apply to any form of labor, including Bible study.

2.  When you learn something on your own, you tend to learn it more thoroughly; it sticks with you longer. You know that to be true in other areas, so why wouldn’t it apply to Bible study, too?

3.  Learning on your own produces stronger convictions. When you see the truth in God’s word for yourself; it’s going to be awful hard for someone to convince you otherwise. God wants you to become “grounded and steadfast” in His word (Colossians 1:23), to “no longer be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). Doing some study on your own will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

4.  When you’ve put in some study of your own, the teaching you receive from others will be clearer, and will sink much deeper into your heart. When Philip began with what is now Isaiah 53 and preached Jesus to the Ethiopian treasurer, it had a great impact, because the treasurer had already been reading from that passage (Acts 8:26-39). Your own study will help you benefit even more from the study of others.

5.  Doing a lot of study on your own will make you a much better teacher, for many of the reasons already cited. You’re excited about the things you’ve learned for yourself; you’ve learned them more thoroughly; and your convictions are much stronger. You’re able to separate truth from error, so the chances of you leading someone astray are greatly diminished. You know what God says on a particular matter, and you want to share it with others.

So go ahead. Get busy today with your own study. “Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:3-5).